Public urged: Support drive against rebels
MANILA – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) called on the public to support the Duterte’s administration move to push for a whole-of-nation approach in addressing communist insurgency in the Philippines by declaring the New People’s Army as persona non grata and at the same time, convincing them to lay down their arms and rejoin society.
“Help us convince the communist rebels that armed conflict is not the solution to the country’s problems. Poverty, injustice, and corruption are the usual issues that they are exploiting and yet right from the start, this government under President Duterte has set these issues as top priorities to be addressed through good governance and focused efforts to improve the plight of the people,” DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said during the Pre-SONA (State of the Nation Address) forum of the Participatory Governance Cluster (PGC) held in Cebu City Wednesday.
Based on records from the interagency Task Force Balik-Loob, more than 8,300 rebel surrenderers yielded to the government as of December 2018. A to
tal of 2,129 former rebels — 1,505 NPAs and 624 Militia ng Bayan — have also been provided with benefits and assistance from 2018 and 2019 through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
He said the government has also recently launched the Retooled Community Support Program which aims to address primary and secondary issues on the ground through a convergence of government initiatives and with the participation of the populace in development planning.
“Sa programang ito, ang gobyerno mismo ang bababa sa inyo para makinig at gumawa ng paraan upang maibsan ang mga problema ng inyong mga komunidad. Kaya naman huwag kayong mahiyang sabihin ang inyong mga suliranin dahil magiging matagumpay lamang ito kung magiging bukas kayo at makikipagtulungan sa amin (Through this program, the government will go down to you to listen and come up with ways to solve problems in your communities. Please do not hesitate to tell us your problems because this will only be successful if you will be open with us and are willing to cooperate),” said Año.
Año also reported that crime volume dipped by 11 percent and around 12,000 barangays are now drug-free as a result of “participatory governance” or the active collaboration between the government and the local government units (LGUs), citizens, and other stakeholders.
“Malaking bahagi kayo sa naging tagumpay ng mas pinaigting na (You played a big role in the success of intensified) peace and order councils (POCs), anti-drug abuse councils (ADACs) at people’s law enforcement board (PLEB) sa labang tuluyan nang tapusin ang mga problema ng ating lipunan (to finally put an end to the different ills confronting our society),” the DILG Secretary said.
Año said that with the help and support of local based institutions like the POCs, ADACs, and PLEB,“law enforcement agencies successfully re-calibrated their anticriminality operations” leading to a decrease in the crime volume from 488,644 for the period of July 2017 to June 2018 to 438,96 for the same period in 2018-2019.
“Through our partnership, we have proven that the government actually walks its talk and our efforts in participatory governance bear fruit and do not fall into the void of empty words and ineffective thrusts,” he said.
In the campaign against illegal drugs, the DILG chief proudly said that 12,099 barangays have already been declared drug-free with the backing and support of a vigi
lant citizenry. Similarly, there are now 172 drug-free jail facilities as compared to only 74 in 2018 due to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s intensified efforts to clear jails of illegal substances.
“Nakamit natin ang tagumpay na ito dahil sa pinaigting na operasyon ng ating mga alagad ng batas at sa suporta ng mga mamamayan na siyang pinagmumulan ng mga impormasyon tungkol sa iligal na droga (We have achieved this victory because of the intensified operations of our law enforcers and through the support of the citizens who are the source of information on illegal drugs),” he added.
But more than the recorded rise in the number of offenders arrested and the number of barangays cleared of illegal drugs, Año said that the government finds more meaningful success “in seeing former pushers and users entrust their future to us through our rehabilitation programs.”